Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
Acts 19:23, 25-26

An unholy alliance forms when religion and material profit are bound together. When God’s call to repent and accept the truth threatens their pocketbook, people will cling fiercely to their beloved lies, stop their ears, and shout irrational bumper-sticker slogans to drown out the voice of the Holy Spirit. Angry mass protests and even lynch mobs often result, even though most of the people shouting the slogans have no idea what’s behind it.

“Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.”
Acts 19:32

“…for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!””
Acts 19:34

When we hear people shouting, “Abortion is healthcare!” or “Christianity is a religion of hate!” or “You can’t make rules about love,” or “the Bible opposes science,” we see the irrational, mindless, profit-driven attempt to drown out the Truth of God’s Word. Follow the money and you’ll find the source of all the noise and confusion.

Lord, deliver me from the lies that manipulate and confuse. Help me to see through the mindless slogans and slick advertising campaigns designed to blind and enslave. Give me a heart that clings to the truth, even when it costs me, and trusts in You, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles